Saturday, June 27, 2015

Carpe Diem Time Machine 10 Indian Summer (Koharu)


Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It's time for another trip along memory lane with our Carpe Diem Time Machine in which we will re-visit prompts we have had earlier in our rich history. Today we go back to December 2012. Back than Carpe Diem Haiku Kai started it's third month, a month with classical Japanese kigo, and Indian Summer or Koharu is such a classical kigo. I will reproduce a part of that episode here:

An Indian summer is a heat wave that occurs in the autumn. It refers to a period of considerably above-normal temperatures, accompanied by dry and hazy conditions, usually after there has been a killing frost. Depending on latitude and elevation, it can occur in the Northern Hemisphere between late September and mid November.
The expression 'Indian summer' has been used for more than two centuries. The earliest known use was by French-American writer John Hector St. John de Crevecoeur in rural New York in 1778: "Then a severe frost succeeds which prepares it to receive the voluminous coat of snow which is soon to follow; though it is often preceded by a short interval of smoke and mildness, called the Indian Summer."In British English St. Martin's Summer was the most widely used term until the American phrase became better known in the 20th century. In the United Kingdom, the term Indian summer is used loosely for a period of unseasonable warmth and sunshine in late September, October, or November. In former times in English-speaking regions of Europe, 'Indian summer' was called Saint Martin's Summer, referring to St. Martin's day, November 11. An alternative was Saint Luke's summer. Another alternative was "All-hallows summer", as All Hallows' is November 1. In the United Kingdom Indian summer is often used to describe warm weather that comes late in the year after unusually cool summer months.In the Netherlands it is sometimes called "oudewijvenzomer" or "sint-michielszomer" ("St. Michael's Summer"), although the term "nazomer" ("late summer") is used more often.

after a warm day
a thin layer of fresh fallen snow
covers the garden


(c) Chèvrefeuille
Indian Summer
Well this was our little trip along memory lane and I hope that it will inspire you to write/compose all new haiku and share them here.

I love to share a few haiku which were written in response on this prompt Indian Summer back in 2012:


the lazy bones yearn,
late summers refuse to move
winter knocks on door


(C) Nimue


on a wintry day,
summer blooms in my heart-
the radiance of hope


(C) Loredana


Warm fingers
Plunged in icy pool
Hummers rove


(C) Becca


Indian summer—
brief respite from the burden
of firewatch at night.


(C) Mark M. Redfearn

Logo Carpe Diem Haiku Kai December 2012

Wind from Lake Michigan
Hitting trees in November
Foliage still bright red

Steady wind, no rain
Bright colors of the Indian summer
Soft sound of falling leaves


(C) Rheumatologe Lothar

 As you can see Mark M. Redfearn was already participating than, so he is one of our very first CDHK family members.

This episode of CD Time Machine is open for your submissions today at noon (CET) and will remain open until June 30th at noon (CET). Have fun!

1 comment:


  1. Such a lot in your interesting post that I wasn't aware of. All I knew was that the 'Indian' refers to Red Indian and not to Asian Indian, and that one has to have experienced a really chilly/frosty Autumn time before a warm spell can be considered an Indian Summer.

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